Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli

The Church of Santa Maria dei Miracoli is a beautiful church in Venice, located in the sestiere of Cannaregio.

SHORT HISTORY

The church was built between 1481 and 1489, at the behest of the Lombard merchant Angelo Amadi, who desired a proper shrine for a painting depicting the Virgin, inherited from his uncle, Francesco Amadi. The painting, dating back to the beginning of the 15th century, was considered miraculous by the inhabitants of the area.

The project was entrusted to the architect Pietro Lombardo who, with the help of his sons, Tullio and Antonio, designed and built this small church.

One of the first Renaissance-style churches built in Venice, it was renovated during the 16th century, without changing its external appearance. In 1997, the church was the subject of a careful restoration, which allowed the locals and tourists alike to fully enjoy its artistic beauty.

ART AND ARCHITECTURE

The facade, divided into five sectors by pillars, has two orders. The lower order, with pillars with Corinthian capitals, is architraved, while the upper one, with pillars in Ionic style, is composed of 5 blind arches. Above the facade, there is a large semicircular pediment, decorated with a rose window, 3 oculi and 2 marble circles.

The facade is covered in polychrome marble and adorned with squares, crosses, stars and circles. Above the portal, there is a round tympanum, decorated with a sculpture of the Madonna and Child, by the sculptor Giovanni Giorgio Lascaris, dated 1480.

The interior has a single nave with a barrel vault decorated with gilded coffers. The ceiling, inserted between beams, can be dated to the end of the 16th century.

The presbytery is preceded by a steep staircase leading to the mezzanine floor, elegantly decorated with four statues of Saint Antohony of Padua, Saint Clare, the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary.

On the main altar, there are two statues of Cesare Groppo – Saint Peter and Saint Antony the Abbot, which frame the miraculous painting of the Madonna with the Child Jesus in her arms.

HOW TO GET THERE

The closest vaporetto stop is Rialto, located about 550 meters away, on the waterbus Lines 1 and 2. To find the church on foot, use the map below.